Rafael Jodar sends message to Alexander Zverev ahead of French Open quarter-final showdown
Rafael Jodar has looked ahead to his quarter-final showdown with title favourite Alexander Zverev at the 2026 French Open.
World No 29 Jodar, who is through to his first-ever Grand Slam quarter-final, will take on third-ranked Zverev on Tuesday at Roland Garros.
In his fourth round match on Sunday, Jodar recovered to beat his compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
This was Jodar’s second successive five-set victory after he came back from two sets to one down to defeat Alex Michelsen in the third round.
The 19-year-old Spaniard, who is making his French Open debut, saw off James Duckworth in four sets in the second round after a straight-set first round win over Aleksandar Kovacevic.
Jodar has made an outstanding breakthrough during the clay-court season, having won his maiden title in Marrakech, reached the Barcelona Open semi-finals and made quarter-finals at the Masters 1000 events in Madrid and Rome
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Zverev has dropped just one set en route to the last eight, having beaten Benjamin Bonzi, Tomas Machac, Quentin Halys and Jesper de Jong.
The 29-year-old German, who is a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, is the most accomplished player left in the draw in Paris.
Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz withdrew ahead of the event due to injury, while Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic both suffered shock early exits.
In his press conference after defeating Carreno Busta, Jodar was asked for his thoughts on facing Zverev and if he considers the German to be the favourite to win the title.
“I mean, he’s a great player, obviously. What he has done is amazing. One of the best players right now on the tour,” Jodar said.
“So, I’ll just try to give my best, try to recover well because I’ve played a lot of matches. I think this day off tomorrow will help me to get ready for that match.
“And enjoy because it’s a quarter-final match against one of the best players in the world.
“Try to enjoy the opportunity and take a lot of learning, and obviously go with everything, and with the belief — as today and as with the other matches — that if I do the things well, I can take the win, as well.”
Asked if was feeling tired, Jodar said: “Well, I mean… no. I think I’m just trying to enjoy the moment.
“I’m not feeling… I mean, obviously, I’ve played four matches in this tournament, some of them were longer than the first two. Even the second one was a long match.
“So I’m just trying to recover well. These days off are really helping me. It’s great to get the body ready. I’m trying to recover well, but I’m not tired.”
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